NTT IndyCar Series veteran Conor Daly is set to make his debut in one of NASCAR’s junior feeder series this Friday. The former GP2 Series (now referred to as F2) driver will be seen cutting his teeth with the youngest and fiercest drivers in the stock car racing world from behind the wheel of one of Rette Jones Racing’s entries in the ARCA Menards Series.
Advertisement
The long-time open-wheeled racer will be making his debut in the feeder series at a track familiar to IndyCar Series drivers at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The 32-year-old will be seen piloting the #30 entry during the Zinsser Smart Coat 150 at the 2.25-mile-long circuit in Lexington, Ohio.
Going to go see what @ARCA_Racing is all about on Friday at Mid Ohio with @RetteJones30 ! A lot to learn once again but should be fun to get back in a race car again thanks to @Polkadot. Race is on FS2 around 6pm ET I think. Check it out! #nascarguy pic.twitter.com/RDWlyp7nof
— Conor Daly (@ConorDaly22) June 19, 2024
Speaking about his previous experiences at the popular track, Daly touched on why he chose to make his ARCA debut at the Lexington venue and said, “This opportunity came up pretty last minute, but I love Mid-Ohio and really enjoy racing there. I’ve raced a Truck there and so I have a little bit of heavy car experience there. I have run well in an IndyCar there in the past. Excited to see what this series is all about. I have a lot to learn obviously.”
The Indiana native is no stranger to stock car racing as a phenomenon with Daly having participated in several NASCAR races in the third-tier Craftsman Truck Series. We’ll have to wait and see how well he can adapt to one of the sport’s ultra-competitive feeder series, with the race due to go live on Friday, June 21, 2024, at 6:22 pm ET.
What does Conor Daly’s NASCAR career look like?
The IndyCar Series veteran has a total of four NASCAR Cup Series starts along with three Craftsman Truck Series starts to his name over the years. Daly was also slated to run an Xfinity Series race in 2018. However, that never came to fruition.
The 32-year-old open-wheeled veteran’s best finish in the Truck Series came last year after a P18 finish at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, matching his P18 finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2020. His worst finish came during his 2021 appearance at the same venue when he finished in P40.
As for Conor Daly’s Cup Series stats, the part-time NASCAR driver finished in P21 at Daytona in 2023, along with his worst finish of P36 at the Circuit of the Americas where his car was relegated to the sidelines due to technical glitches during the race.
It remains to be seen how well Daly can adapt to one of NASCAR’s fiercest junior feeder series this Friday.
